


Ghost of You

by happy_valley



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Relationships, F/M, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Head Girl Hermione Granger, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hurt/Comfort, POV Hermione Granger, Post-War, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:09:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happy_valley/pseuds/happy_valley
Summary: The war is over, and the world is slowly healing. Head Girl Hermione Granger is headed to Hogwarts for her eighth year. It seems as though everyone around her is moving forward and finding their path in life. But Hermione can't help but feel stuck as if she is floundering. Until a cufflink thrusts her into a memory she is desperate to forget. Until the inscription carved within the tarnished silver reveals a man she'd thought to be dead.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 122
Kudos: 90





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiiii! Thank you so much for checking out this fic! I am so excited about this story and hope you all like it! Alpha/beta love to Shamione. She has been such a phenomenal help to this fic and truly I cannot thank her enough. Also, I want to thank my friend Mya for always being my cheerleader.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Harry Potter Universe.

The Head Girl made her rounds, listening as students chatted idly while Hogwarts Express traveled to its destination. It had been four months since the Battle of Hogwarts, four months since Hermione Granger had seen the dilapidated version of the castle she had once called home. 

When she was able to ensure that all students were accounted for, Hermione slipped into the Heads compartment, which, thankfully, was empty. She had run into the Head Boy, Ernie Macmillan, when entering the train, conversing quickly and never really straying far from the topic of their duties as heads. By the time they had made to leave for rounds, Ernie had informed her that he would be sitting with his girlfriend, a sixth-year that Hermione did not remember the name of. Hermione had smiled and silently thanked the gods above she would be able to get some time alone before approaching the castle.

A knock on the compartment door jolted the Head Girl from her thoughts, honey-colored eyes meeting the blue eyes of her best friend. Ron pushed open the door, leaning against the frame as he stared down at the curly-haired witch. “Hey ‘Mione, what are you doing in here all alone?” He didn’t attempt to step further into the compartment, for which she was thankful. 

“I’m preparing for the prefect meeting in a few minutes, at which your attendance is expected, might I remind you.” She responded curtly, bringing her beaded bag to her lap, rummaging through its contents to retrieve the parchments she had written her notes on. She heard Ron release a sigh, and she turned her gaze back to him curiously. 

“You aren’t, y’know, avoiding me after-”

“No.” She cut him off quickly. He did not look convinced, so she smiled at him. “No, I’m just trying to get ready, Ron. I know Neville, Ginny, and Seamus are sitting with you and Harry. Too much noise and I really need to prepare for this meeting. You and I are fine; we both decided this was for the best.” 

Ron smiled at her before bringing his hand to the top of her head, ruffling her hair. Hermione wrinkled her nose in distaste. Though the two friends had decided to keep their relationship strictly platonic, it had impacted the way the two interacted with one another. Where Hermione had once been willing to wrap her arms around her friend or lay her head on his shoulder, she now hesitated, deciding it would be best to keep space between the two of them, so as not to send mixed signals. Ron insisted on awkward pats or gestures in an attempt to let her know that he still cared. All of it was forced and rather unpleasant. Hermione hoped this would end as the year progressed. With one last smile, Ron left, letting her know where to find them if she didn’t want to spend the rest of the train ride alone.

Nearly half an hour later, Hermione stood next to Ernie, taking in the prefects who sat around the compartment. Her eyes landed on Ginny and Ron, sending them a smile that was returned. She took notice of Hannah Abbott sitting between Ron and the other Hufflepuff prefect. Ernie began welcoming all of the prefects just as her eyes landed on Theodore Nott seated in the back alongside Daphne Greengrass. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at them. They were two of only four Slytherins that had chosen to return, the other two being Blaise Zabini and Tracy Davis. Hermione could not say that it was surprising that so few had chosen to return, considering. 

“Hermione will hand out a timetable for rounds; these will be temporary. The permanent ones will be posted by the end of the week.” Ernie’s words brought Hermione from her thoughts. She gave the stack of parchments to Ginny to pass along. When the parchments made it to each prefect, everyone took a moment to study their assignments. 

“These schedules don’t take into account the grief share group Headmistress McGonagall will be starting on Wednesday,” Daphne Greengrass spoke, and beside her, Theo snorted. Hermione inhaled sharply, taking a look back down at the parchment before nodding her head. Daphne was right, Hermione had forgotten, and Daphne’s name was written for patrol that evening. How could she have forgotten? Of course, Daphne would want to attend the grief share group; all of them had lost people.

“We can discuss rearranging the schedule.” Hermione took another look at the Slytherin girl before turning her attention back to the other prefects. She began her part of the speech, reciting her words as she had practiced previously. By the time she was finished and dismissed the prefects, only the Head Girl remained with the two Slytherin prefects who were huddled together. She took a few strides over to them, clearing her throat to capture their attention. “I just wanted to apologize for my oversight; I can take over your patrol on Wednesday if you’d like to attend the group session that evening.” Another scoff came from Theo, and he turned his head to Daphne.

“Not bloody likely,” He grumbled, glaring at the blonde witch. 

“Theo,” Daphne chided softly, placing her hand in his. Hermione stiffened as she watched the two stare at one another, feeling as though she was not meant to view this interaction between the two Slytherins. Daphne turned her head and smiled at Hermione; she wondered if this was the first time she had ever seen the Slytherin girl smile. “I’d appreciate that, Hermione.” Hermione gave Daphne her own smile, nodding at the pair before making her way to leave. When the door slid shut, the Head Girl didn’t miss the sound of Theo’s voice telling Daphne that she was wasting her time.

“They don’t give a damn about our grief, and they certainly don’t give a damn about Draco.”

*

“We missed you on the train,” Ginny spoke softly, taking a bite of her chicken. Hermione looked at the red-headed witch, giving her friend a small smile. She had finished the ride to Hogwarts in the heads compartment, basking in the solitude it provided. 

“I needed to adjust the prefect schedule.” Ginny let out a snort, taking another bite of her food. Hermione raised her eyebrow, looking at the redhead questioningly. 

“Sure it didn’t have anything to do with a certain brother of mine?” Ginny raised an eyebrow in return, causing Hermione to roll her eyes. 

“You know it isn’t,” Ginny did not look convinced as she took another stab at her chicken. “Ron and I decided we were better suited as friends.” She shrugged her shoulders, taking a bite of her own dinner. Hermione let her gaze linger over the Great Hall, taking in all of the new and returning students. “It’s odd, being back after everything.” Her eyes settled on the Slytherin table, taking notice of the four eighth years who sat at the far end eating silently.

Ron let out a snort. “Guess some of the Death Eaters didn’t take the hint they weren’t welcome back.” Hermione stiffened at his words, sending her friend a glare. 

“None of them were found to be Death Eaters, Ronald,” The Head Girl hissed, stabbing a potato with her fork. Ron simply scoffed, shoving another spoonful of food into his mouth. 

“Malfoy was,” Ron stated with his mouth full. 

Hermione bristled just as a fork clattered on the table, and everyone turned to Harry, who stared at Ron with wide eyes. Without another word, Harry got to his feet, leaving the Gryffindor table and exiting the Great Hall. Ginny watched her boyfriend leave, then turned and glared at her brother. Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat, pushing the food in front of her away. 

“Gods Ron, do you even think before you speak?” Ginny snapped at her brother. 

She got to her feet, grabbing her belongings and following after her boyfriend. Hermione watched her friend leave before looking back at Ron, who did not seem phased by his sister’s outburst. He returned to his meal, leaving the witch to her thoughts. 

Just like many of her peers, the war was something that lingered in the back of Hermione’s mind. She thought about it when her mind found an opening in her thoughts; absent moments caused thoughts to linger. So Hermione forced herself to be as occupied as she could to steer herself clear of unwanted memories, reminders of what she had lost as well as what she had taken. 

Eventually, dinner came to a close, and students were being instructed to head back to their common rooms. Since Ginny had stormed after Harry earlier in the evening, Hermione escorted the first years to the Gryffindor common room with Ron. She was thankful that her room was also with the other Gryffindors, though she did not have to share with others because she was ready to climb into bed. 

She tried not to think of the rubble that had once littered the hallways as she gave the first years instructions. Ignored the fear that had seeped into her bones at the sight of the steps that Nagini had once slithered along, nearly taking off her head if it hadn’t been for Neville. Instead, she spoke loudly, head high as she stepped into the Gryffindor common room. Hermione watched as the students scattered around the chamber, some timidly standing in the corner watching as the older students played games of exploding snap, wizards chess, and the like. When her eyes fell to her bespectacled friend, she sent him a soft smile, one that let him know he wasn’t alone. 

He gestured for her to come and sit with him and Ginny, but the curly-haired witch shook her head. She gestured with her thumb in the direction of her room, and he nodded in understanding. Hermione wandered toward her room, muttering the password to let herself in. She took in the small living space and the cushy furniture. She had her own small fireplace that she ignited with a flourish of her wand. Her trunk was already at the foot of a four-poster bed when she shuffled to her bedroom. 

Hermione let a familiar comfort work its way into her bones as she unloaded her trunk, packing her toiletries into her still expanded beaded bag. Although the day had been tiring, and all she wished to do was wash away the stress, coming home to the Gryffindor tower brought with it a safety she'd been lacking. Unpacking filled her time until her wand buzzed, signaling the start of her rounds.

The Head Girl grabbed her bag and headed toward the head's office to meet Ernie. He was leaning against the wall when she found him, offering a half-hearted smile as they fell quietly into step. Hermione realized that she didn’t mind the silence but wished that the two had something in common enough that they could have idle chatter. Without it, Hermione's mind wandered into dangerous places. 

They had managed to get through the entire castle relatively quickly, leaving Hermione and Ernie to part ways on the seventh floor. Bidding him goodnight, she turned on her heel to head for the prefect bathroom two floors below. The witch focused on the sound of her shoes tapping against the stone floor, counting the steps in her head. Before she knew it, she found herself surprisingly standing before the Room of Requirement. Her eyes raked over the expanse of the wall, breath quickening as she thought back to her last time there. She took a tentative step forward, hand reaching out to touch the smooth stone wall that showed no signs of damage. 

A sharp pain in her foot stopped her in her place. She stared at the wall once more before shaking her head and running away. Hermione would not go back into that room, not if she could help it. As she ran, the pain in her foot increased; she only stopped when she made it to the prefect bathroom. She fell to her knees, pulling the shoe from her foot, and something fell from the bottom, clattering onto the stone floor. Hermione raised her eyebrow, reaching out to pick up the tarnished silver object. Upon inspection, she realized it was a cuff link. 

Curiously she held the cuff link in her fingers, eyes widening in recognition as she read the inscription:  _ DLM.  _

_ Draco Lucius Malfoy. _

Draco Lucius Malfoy, who had tormented her for years. Draco Lucius Malfoy, who had been a Death Eater. Draco Lucius Malfoy, who had died in the Battle of Hogwarts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you EozMoon for this BEAUTIFUL art ♥️


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Alphabet love to shamione! 🥰

The following day Hermione found herself in a daze. She had spent most of the night staring at the cufflink she had stepped on outside of the Room of Requirement. Where had it come from? The elves that had worked at the school before the war had returned and Hermione had never seen a spec of dust in any part of the castle. Surely, they would have thrown this out. Hermione tried to think about the possibilities, but the more she thought, the more her heart began to race. She willed herself to stop mulling over the cufflink as the sun began to rise, shoving the silver pendant into a jewelry box on her nightstand. 

Hermione left her room, taking a few deep breaths as she shut the door. Stress. That’s all this was; she was sure of it. She'd been wary of returning to Hogwarts, though she hadn’t said as much to her friends, and it was showing. Harry and Ron had attempted to go straight into the Auror training program after the war, but Kingsley Shacklebolt had suggested they return to Hogwarts and complete their N.E.W.T.S., much to her friends’ displeasure. Hermione had been unsure of where to go after the war, so she'd decided to follow Harry and Ron back to Hogwarts. Although she still welcomed the same rush of excitement from school and learning, it now came with the bitter feelings of how hard she had fought to prove her worth. 

“You okay, Hermione?” She jumped, turning to see Harry looking at her curiously in the common room. Hermione straightened her spine, brushing her hair from her face. 

“Oh, yes, yes, I’m okay.” She pulled her bag over her shoulder. “Are you waiting for Ginny?” Harry shook his head, and the two walked towards the Great Hall together. “How was your night?”    


“It’s strange being here, after everything,” Harry answered, keeping his gaze to the ground. “I keep looking around thinking about everyone who should be here.” 

Hermione nodded in understanding. The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they wandered into the Great Hall. She sat down next to Neville, who gave her a small smile, which she returned as she reached for a piece of toast. 

“How are you, Hermione?” Neville sought as she took a bite of her breakfast. Hermione shrugged as she swallowed.

“I’m doing well, adjusting my time table.” She answered, covering her hand over her mouth.

“How are your parents?” 

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, turning her gaze away from her friend. She'd run into Neville a few weeks prior at St. Mungos while she was leaving her parents’ room in the Janus Thickey Ward. She had tried to fix the modification of their memories but found it to be more challenging than she had originally believed. Her attempts had backfired, causing her parents to turn into a shell of themselves, unable to recognize themselves, let alone their daughter. She had to contact the healers in Australia, and after various tests, they also failed in fixing their memories. Hermione had contacted Kingsley Shacklebolt in tears after, and he'd been able to open a room for them within the ward. When she'd bumped into Neville, he had merely hugged her tightly; if anyone knew what it was like to have parents who didn’t know them, it was him.

“Every day is different,” she finally uttered, and Neville gave her a look of understanding, turning back to his food. 

Hermione let out a breath, thankful the conversation was over. She had not told Harry and Ron about being unable to return her parents' memories, afraid that telling people would make it true. It was bad enough that Neville gave her that sympathetic look, but if she received it from her friends as well as the Weasleys, Hermione didn’t think she could take it.

“Hermione, are you listening?” Ginny asked, nudging Hermione with her elbow. Hermione shook her head, causing Ginny to roll her eyes. “There are quidditch tryouts this weekend; you’ll be there, yeah?” Hermione wrinkled her nose. She hated quidditch. But seeing as all of her friends loved the sport, she had no choice but to support the cause. 

“You know I will.” Hermione smiled, and Ginny returned the gesture before turning back to her boyfriend. Hermione watched as everyone around her fell into their conversations, the witch fading into the background. 

*

After her classes came to an end that day, Hermione climbed the steps, ready to slip into her room and begin her studies. Hermione walked to her room, saying the password before stepping inside. Her room was cozy enough for just her, though if her friends were to spend time in here, it might get a little crowded. She hoped she could keep her friends out for as long as possible; she was growing to enjoy having a space that was all her own.

She moved further into her room, crossing into her bedroom. She placed her bag onto her desk, and she chewed on her bottom lip, turning her eyes to her nightstand to ensure the jewelry box was still sitting where she had left it that morning. She mentally scolded herself; of course, it would be there. Why wouldn’t it be? Hermione took a timid step toward the nightstand, her hand softly trembling as she reached out and touched the top. 

“Get a grip, Hermione,” she whispered to herself as she closed her eyes. 

Without giving it a second thought, she opened the box, eyes falling to peer down into where she's stored the cufflink. A gasp fell from her lips as she looked into the jewelry box. 

The cufflink was gone. 

Frantically, Hermione reached her hand in, expecting to find the cool metal but found nothing. Confused, Hermione lifted the box, checking under to see if the cufflink had somehow fallen. Nothing. Turning to her bed, she lifted her pillow, then her duvet, eventually stripping her bed bare. Still nothing. The bushy-haired witch fell to her knees, looking under her bed; she checked under the bed, then crawled on the floor to peer under the nightstand and then her dresser.  _ Nothing _ . Her eyes swept the entirety of the room, but no luck. In a last-ditch effort to appease her sanity, Hermione pulled her wand from the holster on her arm, grasped the cool wood, and muttered, “ _ Accio _ cufflink.” 

_ Nothing _ . 

Hermione’s heart began to race as she sat back on the carpeted floor. Where had it gone? Hermione was sure she had seen the cufflink before leaving for her classes this morning. She couldn’t explain why, but the thought of the cufflink being gone affected her greatly. The head girl closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before walking to her bathroom. She turned the sink on, splashing her face with cool water. “Get a grip, get a grip.” She chanted the words repeatedly but they did little to ease the unsettled feeling in her gut.

A knock sounded through her room causing Hermione to jump. She quickly turned the faucet off and dashed to the door. When the door swung open, Ginny and Ron were staring back at her. “Hey, ‘Mione, are you almost ready?” 

Hermione knitted her eyebrows in confusion. “For what?” 

Ginny and Ron exchanged a look before turning back to the head girl. “We have a prefect meeting before dinner,” Ginny reminded the witch. 

Hermione’s mouth formed an O as she remembered the meeting she had organized for this evening. She let out a small laugh and shook her head. 

“O-Of course, I just need a moment to get my things.”

She fumbled to shut the door; once she had, she closed her eyes. How could she have forgotten? Hermione shook her head; she really needed to get her priorities in order. She made her way back to the bedroom, grabbing her bag from the desk. A scream left her lip, her feet becoming frozen in their spot. 

There on her desk sat the cufflink. 

“‘Mione!” Ron yelled, calling out the password she had given him hours earlier to grant himself access to her room. She turned to see Ron and Ginny staring wide-eyed at her. “Are you alright?” 

Hermione nodded her head. “I’m fine; I just thought I saw a spider.” 

She watched Ron's entire body shiver, knowing that he would be more likely to leave than stay due to his fear of spiders. She watched as he turned and took a few steps out of her bedroom. Ginny raised an eyebrow at her friend, sending her a curious glance. 

“What happened to your room?” The youngest Weasley asked with a suspicious tone. 

Hermione spun around to see that her room was still a disastrous mess. She sighed inwardly. Why did Ginny have to follow her brother? Ron wouldn’t have noticed if a troll had brushed past him in the hallways. Ginny, however, always seemed to have a sixth sense for trouble.

“I thought I lost one of my mother’s earrings,” Hermione lied; by the look of sympathy on Ginny’s face, she believed her. Thank Merlin. 

“I’ll meet you guys in just a second, okay?” Ginny nodded her head and trailed her brother's path out of Hermione's dormitory. With a flourish of her wand, Hermione righted her room and her robes, as those were surely out of sorts, too. 

When Hermione turned around, she grabbed the cufflink from the desk and shoved the pendant into her pocket. Then she took her bag, slinging it over her shoulder.  _ What the hell was going on?  _

*

“Thank you all for coming. I know this meeting was scheduled rather abruptly,” Hermione spoke as she looked around at the prefects before her. 

She noticed that the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw students sat by one another, but Daphne and Theo were sitting off to the side a distance away. She allowed her gaze to linger on the two Slytherins until her eyes connected with Theo’s and he glared at her. Hermione quickly looked away and cleared her throat before speaking. 

“I’d like to talk to everyone about inter-house unity projects. I think that all of us should carry out our temporary round as scheduled, and then we can begin rounds permanently with a prefect from another house.”

Ron frowned, but other than that, no one seemed phased by her words. It was somewhat unconventional to do prefect rounds with different houses, and Hermione was surprised by the lack of reaction from her peers. 

“Also, each prefect will be required to create one event each month to promote inter-house unity.” This caused a scoff from the male Slytherin in the back. “If anyone has any questions, our first event will be next month. Ernie and I will be in charge of event planning. Anyone interested in November can come and talk to either Ernie or myself in the next few weeks.” 

There was some talk about possible ideas, but eventually, Ron complained that dinner was about to start and he was starving. Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled as she dismissed the group of prefects. As everyone made their way out, her eyes locked on Theo, calling out his name.

“Is there something you need, Granger?” He asked in a bored tone. 

Hermione clasped her hands and took in a deep breath. She had never really interacted with Theodore Nott. He had been quite aloof prior to becoming a prefect this year. Normally she'd spot the Slytherin in the library or beside Malfoy ithe Great Hall, but he had always been absent when the blond had tormented her. The head girl wondered if Theo would have been a prefect in fifth year had the position not been offered to Malfoy. 

“I’d like to air out any grievances you seem to have with me,” she insisted, lifting her chin. 

Theo smirked, looking down his nose at her. “Grievances?” 

“You clearly have a change in tone when I am speaking versus Ernie. If there is a problem, I’d like to address it now.” She had fought too hard, too long to let someone like Theodore Nott make her feel small. “Any ill feelings towards me or my blood status will not be tolerated.” Hermione clenched her teeth so hard they had cracked when the Slytherin in front of her began to laugh. 

“You think I hate you because you’re a  _ mudblood _ ?” His words were dripping with venom. “I could not give a fuck less about you or your blood status.” He took a step closer to her, causing Hermione to grip her wand tightly. “I hate you, Granger. I absolutely fucking  _ hate  _ you. You and your friends think the world revolves around you, and that nothing you do deserves punishment. But you’re wrong.” 

Hermione sputtered, taking several steps back. “What- what are you-” 

Theo's deep growl cut her off as his hands balling into fists at his side. 

“Did you really think we didn’t know?” He screamed, causing Hermione to flinch. Theo took notice of her reaction; she could see that he wanted to scare her. “We know Draco died because of you and your fucking friends.” 

She stumbled back again, almost as if she had been struck. Her body collided with the desk behind her, the sound of objects falling to the ground ignored by them both. 

All of the air seemed to have left her lungs at that moment. She tried, desperately, to suck in a breath but without luck. Her vision began to blur as she stared at the Slytherin in front of her. Suddenly she was transported to a place where smoke filled her lungs and screams filled her ears. “No, no, that’s not-”

“I’m a prefect because I  _ have  _ to be, not because I want to be. I don’t give a fuck about you or your friends. Stay out of my way, or you’ll regret it.” 

With that, Theo turned on his heel and stomped out of the Heads' office. Hermione’s body shook, and she crumpled to the ground. She closed her eyes, trying her best to focus on her breathing over the raging noise in her ears. When she was able to sit up, she abruptly pushed herself to her feet and ran back to her dormitory; she knew she would not be able to stomach dinner. 

By the time she made it to her room, she was sobbing.  _ We know Draco died because of you and your friends.  _ What did they think they knew? Surely not the truth. She collapsed onto her bed, bringing her arms over her head, hoping to rid herself of the memories she knew would always haunt her. 

However, her thoughts were halted, blood running cold as her hand touched something unfamiliar. Hermione shot up, turning toward the object as she released an audible gasp. Laying on her bed was a wand that Hermione Granger had never seen before. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh!! And that’s chapter 2! How are you enjoying this so far? I’m so excited to hear your thoughts/reactions as this story progresses! 
> 
> Next Update: 3/7.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hermione held the wand in her hands, scrutinizing it. She didn’t know much about wand lore; it had never been a concentration the head girl had found herself particularly interested in. But as she stared down at the dark wood wand with a studded handle, she wished there was more information given to her. Taking her bottom lip between her teeth, Hermione wrapped her hand around the hilt, letting the cool studs press into her sensitive flesh. 

How did the wand get here? Who did it belong to? Was there someone in the castle who was missing their wand, and if so, how did they get into her dormitory? A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of a stranger breaking into her room. The head girl jumped from her bed, running to her door, wanting to change the password to her quarters immediately. She took a breath to collect herself once she made it into the hallway. 

Her eyes scanned the vicinity, not wanting anyone to overhear the new password. When she was sure that no one was around, she turned her attention to the small lion head placed where a door knocker would be. “I’d like to change my password, please.” The stone lion stared back at the head girl for a moment as if to contemplate her request.

“Very well,” the lion granted, nodding its head. “What would you like the new password to be?” 

Hermione thought for a moment; in her haste, she hadn't thought to what her new password should be changed. She racked her brain for a few moments before deciding on "kneazle." It was simple enough, and though she was sure her friends would eventually be able to guess it, she doubted a stranger would. Bidding the stone lion good night, Hermione ventured back into her dormitory, adding an extra ward to her room so no one but her could enter. That would do for now. 

Her eyes landed on the wand still sitting on her bed. Maybe there was a reason the wand found its way to her? Hermione sat on the bed, taking the foreign wand into her hand. “Lumos.”

Her voice was soft as she spoke the incantation. Nothing happened, not that she had expected it to. With a shake of her head, she tucked the mysterious wand into her bag, hoping that the library would be able to provide some answers for her tomorrow. Hermione laid in bed for what felt like hours before sleep finally overtook her. 

_The sound of Ron's screaming rang through the air as he ran toward her and Harry. She exchanged a look of confusion with her friend just as she heard Ron shout, “Goyle set the bloody place on fire!”_

_Just as the words left his lips, a sea of flames followed his approaching form. Hermione and Harry broke off into a sprint, trying to find a way from the blaze that followed them._

_Towers of lost items fell all around, instantly turning to dust as the fiendfyre raged on. Hermione turned as the fire took the shape of a snake, mouth opening wide as if to swallow the three of them whole._

_“What do we do?” Ron shouted as the trio found themselves surrounded by flames._

_The snake shot forward, and Harry quickly cast an Aguamenti charm in defense. Hermione let out a scream as Ron fell beside her, landing on a broom._

_“Here, take this!” Ron tossed her a broom, and she didn’t think twice._

_She was not the strongest flier and had the circumstances been different, she would not have gotten on at all. But as death seemed to be the only other option, Hermione didn't hesitate. Once Harry took hold of his broom, the three leaped into the air, the heat of the flames directly beneath them._

_A scream echoed throughout the room; Hermione turned her head to watch as Goyle fell, instantly becoming engulfed in flames. Her stomach flipped as she watched someone she had known for years perish. Sure, they weren’t friends by any means, but it hurt to watch just the same._

_“This way!” Ron shouted, finding an opening they could get through._

_“We can’t just leave them!” Harry yelled, turning to see Draco and Blaise standing on top of a tower. Ron shot Hermione a look of disbelief, but she nodded in solidarity._

_“He’s right,” She shouted, turning her broom to follow Harry’s lead._

_Ron shouted but followed his friends, yelling to Harry that he would not be happy to die for the snakes. Harry attempted to reach for Draco, his hand missing the blond by mere centimeters. Ron swooped down and yanked Blaise by the arm. Harry tried once more to grab Draco but failed again._

_“The flames are too high; if we don’t leave, we won’t make it out,” Ron screamed, and everyone looked to see the flames climbing higher. Draco tried frantically to get away from the scorching heat, but his attempts were futile._

_“Don’t let me die here!” Draco screamed out in desperation._

_Harry tried to grab him a third time, but Draco fell further down. He let out a horrified scream, his eyes locking on the flames that were now just beneath him._

_“I can’t reach him!” Harry shouted, desperately looking for a solution._

_Hermione watched as the flames reached the bottom of Draco’s robes and, without a second thought, dove toward the blond. She reached out, diving down to grasp his pale hand. Her hand touched his, but as she attempted to pull him up, she felt her body slipping. A scream left her lips as she began to fall; behind her, she could hear Harry shout._

_The broom fell from her grip as she began to plummet. Another body collided with hers, her hand losing its grip on the Slytherin’s._

_“I got you,” Harry said just as Draco’s screams filled the room._

_Everyone watched in horror as his body fell into the burning rubble._

A scream left Hermione’s lips as she jolted awake. It wasn’t the first time since the war her sleep had been plagued with nightmares, and she doubted it would be the last. Rest had been a hard thing to come by without the aid of a Dreamless Sleep potion in the past four months. Though the witch was hesitant to use a sleep aid; it was no secret that Dreamless Sleep potions had addictive qualities. 

She turned in bed to see that the sun was just beginning to rise. With a heavy sigh, Hermione sat up in bed. If she were to leave now, she could shower and make it to the library before breakfast. The head girl quickly gathered all of her belongings and straightened her room with a flourish of her wand. Though a loud yawn escaped her lips as she made her way to the prefect’s bathroom, she reasoned that sleep could come after getting pertinent information. 

Forty-five minutes later, Hermione stepped into the silent library, waving at Madam Pince who sent her a smile. The witch was known for her erratic study habits, so it was not uncommon for her to be found in the library at such an odd hour. 

She took in a deep breath, basking in the silence of the library in the morning. Her feet carried her to the section where she knew she would find books on wands. Having the library as her second home at Hogwarts frequently proved to be beneficial. 

As she collected the allotted amount of books for check out, Hermione charmed them to levitate behind her. She made it to the desk where Madam Pince was occupied with her work. 

The older witch smiled at Hermione, taking her books to check them out. “Interested in wand lore, are we?” Hermione forced a smile and shrugged. 

“There’s just so much to consider after graduation. I’d like to have all of my options open.” Hermione replied as she was confident she could not reveal that she had found a dead student’s cufflink and a mysterious wand in her bed. That would probably give her a one-way Portkey to St. Mungo’s fourth-floor unit. Madam Pince merely smiled at the head girl, wishing her a good day as she hurriedly left the library. 

Hermione hoped the answers she sought would come from one of the books she'd just borrowed. 

*

For what felt like the first time in Hermione Granger’s life, she found herself counting down the minutes until classes ended for the day. She was so anxious to see what could be discovered in her books that nothing else seemed to register. By midway of each lesson, the head girl found herself uncharacteristically bouncing her knee in anticipation of being released. 

It didn’t help that most of her classes were shared with Theodore Nott, who was not subtle in his outward animosity toward her. She was no stranger to the disdain Slytherin house had towards her. But usually, the reason was something that was not in her control. Now it was a completely different story. 

She wanted to confront them and explain that it was not her fault Draco Malfoy was dead. _She_ had tried to save him. Surely Blaise had told them what had actually happened in the Room of Requirement four months ago. However, as she took one look at the Italian wizard next to Theo, she doubted that to be true. 

It was likely that Blaise Zabini believed he had no reason to defend her or her friends, even after they risked their lives to save him. When the four of them made it out of the burning Room of Requirement, Zabini had run without looking back. She would have called out to him had it not been for Harry throwing the Horcrux back into the flames, effectively destroying it. 

“Miss Granger,” a voice pulled her from her thoughts. She looked to see Professor Slughorn looking at her curiously. “Occamy Eggshell is required for this brew. Attempting to use an Ashwinder Egg would be quite the mishap.” Her eyes widened as she looked down at her hands. Just like Slughorn had said, Hermione was holding the Ashwinder shell. 

The head girl smiled sheepishly, placing the wrong ingredient back on her workstation. “Sorry, Professor,” she mumbled softly, quickly righting her almost mistake. 

“No worries, my dear, everyone makes a mistake now and then.” 

As her Professor walked away, she silently scolded herself. What was going on with her? Never in her life had Hermione been less than studious. She really needed to get her priorities in order. As she began to grind the Occamy Egg, her eyes, against her will, turned to the Slytherins once again, this time to find Theo glaring at her. Quickly, she turned her attention back to her cauldron and worked diligently on her brew. 

Hermione did not look back when the class was dismissed. She was so embarrassed about her almost mishap that she wasn’t sure she could face anyone. Failing had always been one of her greatest fears, and she worked very hard to prevent failure from happening. But watching professor Slughorn correct her caused her stomach to tie in knots. Without a second glance, the head girl made her way to the Heads' office, hoping to immerse herself in her studies. 

Though she had been excited to open her books from the library, Hermione decided it would be a better use of her energy to focus on her homework. She had begun her transfiguration essay, not caring that it wasn’t due for weeks. It was a particularly long assignment, and she reasoned it was better to be prepared. Ron would have scoffed if he heard her say that. The witch rolled her eyes at the thought of her friend. 

Once her draft was more than halfway complete, she allowed herself to be pulled from her studies. She grabbed the first book on wands from her bag and opened the cover. Her eyes scanned the contents; it was a book on the history of wands. And though she did not think it would provide her with much information, especially pertaining to her questions, she began to read it anyway. 

“There you are.” Hermione turned to see Ginny walking into the office. The redhead took a seat on the closest chair and let out a heavy breath. “We’ve been looking for you; it’s almost dinner time.” 

With a shrug, Hermione responded, “I just wanted to get a head start on some work.” Ginny lightly scoffed, taking her hair into her hands and tying it back. 

“Like the Brightest Witch of her Age has anything to worry about.” Hermione cringed. Ginny was only teasing, but Hermione did not like the title that was given to her. 

“N.E.W.T.S is not a joke; they’re going to be exceptionally challenging for all of us.” She could feel a lecture threatening to spew from her lips, so she clamped her teeth on her lip to stop herself. 

Ginny did not seem to notice but changed the subject nonetheless. “Are you on duty for next weekend’s Hogsmeade visit?” Hermione thought for a moment but eventually shook her head in answer. “Would you mind keeping Ron occupied for a few hours? Harry and I are desperate for some alone time.” 

Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust. Ginny had understood when Ron and Hermione had broken up before the beginning of the year. However, she was not happy to see that the attention that was once spent on Hermione was now turned to Harry. And Harry was apparently too uncomfortable to say anything to his friend on the matter. 

“I-I guess I could-“ Hermione cut her rambling off when an idea came into her mind. She could apparate to Diagon Alley and take the wand to Ollivander’s. If anyone could provide her with answers, it would be him. “I actually can't; I have something to get in Diagon.” 

The redhead raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “What?”

Hermione was never a good liar. Harry knew it, Ron knew it, hell even Voldemort had probably known it. So as her friend stared at her expectantly, Hermione was unsure of what to say. 

“My- my wand has been acting strange.” She swallowed, shrinking under Ginny’s gaze. “Ever since Bellatrix-“

“Hermione,” Ginny said softly, reaching out to take her hand. “Why didn’t you say anything?” 

Hermione wanted to vomit. Lying made her feel so awful, but she knew Bellatrix was a subject that her friends weren’t comfortable broaching. When Hermione shrugged, Ginny frowned, squeezing her hand. 

As the two girls made their way out of the head’s office, Ginny looped her arm through Hermione’s. “Maybe I can convince Lavender to take Ron out.” 

Hermione snorted, and the two friends burst into laughter. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! And that's chapter 3! What are your thoughts/feelings/predictions? I'm super excited to hear them. The next chapter is when the ball really starts to get rolling! 
> 
> As always, all of my love goes to my alphabet Sha Mione, thank you for being an amazing human! A special thanks to canttouchthis for taking a quick read over and acting as a second set of eyes, you rock.
> 
> Next update: 3/14


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

As it turned out, Ginny hadn't needed to worry about what Ron would be doing for the Hogsmeade trip. When Hermione and the red-headed girl entered the Gryffindor common room following the Quidditch practice all of her friends had forced her to attend, the sight of Lavender and Ron snogging in the middle of the room greeted them. 

Ginny screeched, sending a stinging hex at her brother. “Other people live here too, you absolute troll!” 

Ron roared, jumping out of the blonde’s embrace before rounding on his sister and yelling in return. “What the bloody hell was that for? As if I haven’t seen you snogging my best mate in our sitting room! Almost lost my breakfast because of you.” 

Ron's words only seemed to infuriate Ginny more. She stomped across the room, and Hermione had to stifle her laughter as she watched the two siblings begin to argue. Both were unperturbed with the other Gryffindors packing the room as they shouted. Eventually, Ron pulled out his wand, shooting a jinx at his sister. Harry entered the common room just as Ginny deflected the jinx and tackled her brother to the ground. 

“Shouldn’t you be stopping this?” He asked, looking over at Hermione. Though he tried, Harry failed miserably to contain his smile. Hermione merely shrugged, walking to one of the oversized chairs by the fireplace and settled into it. Harry followed and sat beside her. “Do I want to know what started this?”

“We walked in to see Ron and Lavender snogging.” When Harry laughed, Hermione added, “Ginny informed me she lacked ways to relieve stress, so this may be good for her.” When Harry choked, Hermione let out a chuckle. Harry coughed awkwardly, taking his glasses off of his face to clean them. She wondered if he was scared to look at her.

“She uh, we,” Harry stuttered as he placed his glasses back on his nose. “I liked it better when you didn’t hear about my sex life from my girlfriend.” His shoulders slumped, which only made Hermione snort. 

“Believe me, so did I.” 

She shuddered, causing Harry to roll his eyes. The two of them laughed, and Hermione remembered how good it felt to be so carefree. How normal it felt to be laughing with her friend, watching as her other friends continued to banter. 

“Harry, get your girlfriend off of me!” Ron yelled just as Ginny gripped a chunk of his hair. 

“She’s your sister,” Harry retorted as he made his way over to the two Weasleys, attempting to break them apart. 

As Harry managed to get his girlfriend to release her brother, Hermione let herself wonder if this is how last year would have been had the circumstances been different.

*

A scream ripped from her throat as she shot up in bed. Her lungs felt raw as she desperately tried to suck in a breath. It had become a nightly occurrence for her to wake from a nightmare. Most nights, she relived the memory of what happened in the Room of Requirement; other times, it was the memory of her torture. But every once in a while, like tonight, she dreamed of her parents. The guilt over what she had done ate away at her, even in her unconscious state, it seemed. 

When her screams woke her, she would try to calm herself enough to go back to sleep. But often, she found herself wide awake, waiting until the horizon began to brighten before making her way out of bed. Today, however, Hermione needed to escape her room. It felt as if the chamber was too small and the walls were slowly closing in on her; the more she thought about it, the harder it became to catch her breath. Without another thought, her feet carried her to her dormitory door, and she left the room in a haste. 

The castle was quiet as she made her way through the grounds. It was early enough in the morning that she would not get in trouble for being out. Though being head girl afforded her certain privileges, Hermione didn’t like to misuse her power. The air nipped at her skin as she made her way out of the castle entryway and to the greenhouses. A shiver ran through her, but she did not attempt to turn back. Though as she wandered further outside, she realized she had left her wand in her dormitory. 

The grass was wet beneath her feet and squished with every step she took. Her heart had finally begun to beat at a normal pace, allowing her mind to focus on the wet fabric of her pajama bottoms clinging to her ankles. With each step she took, she focused on the feeling of the grass beneath her slippered feet. 

Eventually making her way back into the castle, she found herself roaming the halls. It was still too early for other students to be awake, so she took this time as an opportunity to further clarify her mind. Though she had her hesitations, she knew it would be a good idea to stop by the hospital wing for a Sleeping Draught from Madam Pomfrey. One dose of it certainly couldn’t hurt; it was better than waking up from nightmares.

Before she knew it, Hermione found herself standing in front of the wall to the Room of Requirement again. She gasped, taking in her surroundings. Why had she come here? Almost as if it had a mind of its own, her hand reached out and touched the cool stone wall. She wondered if anyone had been here since the battle. 

With a deep inhale, she closed her eyes and walked along the wall thrice, asking the room to open itself to her. When she opened her eyes, she was disappointed to see that the wall had not changed. She tried again, asking for a place to be alone but again came up short. Her chest deflated at the thought of the room no longer functioning. It pained her to think of something that had provided so much for her and her friends being destroyed. 

Reluctantly, Hermione began the trek back to her dormitory. She was thankful it was the weekend as she was less likely to run into another student in her pajamas. However, her hopes were cut short when she saw Ginny sitting on the floor by her door. 

Ginny turned her head upon hearing Hermione shuffle to the door. “There you are. I’ve been knocking for ages. Where have you been?”

“Couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk,” Hermione answered, raising her eyebrow at Ginny. “What are you doing on the floor?”

“You changed your password,” Ginny explained. “Why did you change it?” Hermione shrugged her shoulders, muttering the password causing Ginny to groan. “Why didn’t I think of that?” When they walked into her room, Ginny plopped down on the first available chair and let out a yawn. 

“What are you doing up so early?”

“I wanted to see if you wanted to eat breakfast with me before we split up at Hogsmeade.” Ginny stretched herself out in the chair as best as she could. “I barely see you now that you have your own room-”

“-We were never roommates-”

“-And I need my energy before spending time with Harry-”

“Well, there goes my appetite,” Hermione grumbled with a sour look. Beside her, Ginny laughed, tipping her head back as she did so. 

“Get dressed so we can go.” 

At that, Ginny waved her hand as if to emphasize her words. Hermione rolled her eyes but left to get dressed all the same. As she exited her bedroom, she found Ginny standing by her door, her attention on the object she held in her hands. Hermione’s eyes went wide as she recognized what the redhead was holding. It was the wand she had hidden in her bag. How did Ginny get it? 

“Who's wand is this?”

“I don’t know?” Hermione reached over and took the wand from the redhead’s hands. “Where did you get this?”

“Found it on the floor,” Ginny gasped, looking up at the curly-haired witch. “You had someone over; that’s why you changed the password, isn’t it?” The redhead practically bounced on her toes with glee.

“What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Ginny asked, nudging the other witch with her hip. Hermione opened her mouth to adamantly deny Ginny’s theory but wasn’t afforded the chance as the redhead ignored her entirely. “No wonder you didn’t want to go to Hogsmeade with Ron.” She wrinkled her nose as she persisted. “So who is it?” 

“Who is what?”

“Who is the owner of that wand?” The redhead gave her an exasperated look.

“Ginny, I just told you I don’t know,” Hermione snapped, placing the wand back in her bedroom. 

“Fine,” Ginny replied coolly. “Don’t tell me; I’ll find out soon enough.” 

Hermione scoffed, but as they made their way to the Great Hall, Hermione hoped her friend didn’t tell anyone about the wand. And then she wondered why she felt protective over an orphaned wand. 

*

Hogsmeade village looked almost as cozy as Hermione had remembered - before the war had forced people into hiding and businesses to temporarily shut their doors. With each step Hermione took, she marveled at how easy it seemed for people to go back to living as if the war had never happened, as if people hadn't died. She shivered at the thought.

Further along, she could see Ginny and Harry poorly attempting to sneak away from Ron and Lavender. Though it was not hard given that Lavender had pulled Ron between two buildings before pressing her lips to his. As she passed them, she ignored the sounds they made, hoping that they had the wherewithal to cast a privacy charm before things grew any more heated. 

When she got to the end of the grounds, where she ignored Harry and Ginny running into the Shrieking Shack, Hermione Apparated to Diagon Alley. It took only a moment for her to catch her breath when she landed. Though she had been Apparating since passing her exam, it took a second to remind herself that Apparating need not only be used in life or death situations. 

When she got her bearings in order, she made her way through the busy street, heading in the direction of the well-known wand shop. Her eyes caught sight of the security goblin now located on the outside of Gringotts. After she, Harry, and Ron needed to break into the bank for the Horcrux, there was a position filled so people could not enter under the guise of someone else. 

She hurried her steps when the goblin noticed her stare and began glaring at her. A bell rang through the store as she made her way into the dusty wand shop. Not a moment passed before she saw the disheveled grey-haired man poking his head past a shelf to see who had entered. He greeted her warmly when she stepped up to the counter. 

“What can I help you with?” He asked in his naturally soft voice. 

Hermione reached into her bag, having to go past her elbow, thanks to the extension charm, to retrieve the wand. 

“Could you tell me who this wand might belong to?” She began, knitting her brows together when she could not seem to find what she was looking for. “You see, I found it and have no recollection of who could own it.” 

A triumphant noise fell from her lips as her fingers grasped the studded end of the wand. Her eyes grazed the dark wood wand once before passing it along to Mr. Ollivander. Carefully he took the wand from her hand, barely touching it with his fingertips. 

The wizard inhaled sharply. “Ah yes, I’ve seen this one before.” 

He seemed to weigh the wand in his hands, muttering things to himself such as “eleven inches,” “made of elmwood,” and “dragon heartstring.” He did not seem to address the witch at all while examining the wand, so she did not try to interrupt him. 

Finally, he looked at the young witch suspiciously. “Where did you find this wand?” She straightened under his gaze.

“At Hogwarts,” she supplied quietly. It wasn’t a lie, but she decided he did not need to know it had been in her bed in her dormitory. “Do you remember who you gave this wand to?”

“I remember every wand I’ve given away,” He replied, almost offended at the thought of forgetting. As he took one last glance at the wand, he finally answered her question. “The wand that came into your possession used to belong to one Narcissa Black, though I guess her name has changed since this wand chose her many years ago.” 

She let out a soft gasp as he returned the wand to her.

There were too many questions floating through her head, so many things that she wanted to understand. But it seemed the only thing she could manage to stutter out was, “B-belonged to?” 

He nodded his head. “It would appear its allegiance has shifted.” 

“Well, who does it belong to?” 

He looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. “Someone who is no longer living.” 

The questions in her mind multiplied at that. However, none of them appeared to formulate no matter how hard she tried. What was going on? And what did it have to do with her? 

She stood in the store for a few minutes longer before she seemed to realize where she was. Hermione thanked Mr. Ollivander, tucking the wand back into her bag. Hastily, she made her way out of the store, promising to herself that she would get to the bottom of this, whatever  _ this  _ was. 

*

Returning to the castle, Hermione hoped that getting a good night's rest would help her. So much had happened in the short time she had been back to Hogwarts, most of which Hermione could not make sense. Perhaps she might consider reaching out to Headmaster McGonagall to see what to make of these events. She made her way to the hospital wing, thanking Madam Pomfrey when she, reluctantly, handed Hermione a sleeping draught. The head girl promised that she would not come back for one unless it were an absolute emergency. 

The walk back to her room was a noisy affair. Students who had gone to the village earlier were now scattered around the castle showing off the things they had purchased, whether it be sweets or other items. Ron had told Hermione that since George and Lee Jordan had partnered together to relaunch Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, business had boomed, much more than the two could have prepared for after the war. Now there were talks of expanding to Hogsmeade; it was possible that they had a pop-up shop earlier in the day to test marketability. She mentally reminded herself to check with Ron tomorrow during breakfast.

By the time she made her way into her dormitory, she could feel her head throb as thoughts began to filter through her mind. She muttered the password, stepping in when the door swung open. Hermione walked further into her dormitory, grabbing a book from her bookshelf. Hopefully, reading would relax her for a few hours. A shiver passed through her as she entered her room. Hermione went to her window, shutting it quickly. 

When she turned around to face her bed, a scream fell from her lips and she dropped the book in her hands, causing it to fall with a loud crack, no doubt breaking the spine. 

On her bed sat Draco Malfoy. 

He was staring at her intensely, grey eyes taking in her form. 

“M-Malfoy?” Hermione stuttered, eyes widening at the wizard she had not seen in four months - since his  _ death _ . 

“Nice to finally see you, Granger.” He smirked at her. 

_ No.  _ This is not happening. Draco Malfoy died: he died in the Battle. Someone must be using Polyjuice, but how did they get into her room? 

Her hands shook violently as she reached for her wand. When she finally grasped it, she pointed it at him, “Stupefy!” 

The spell left her wand but did nothing when it landed on his chest. 

“Did you  _ actually  _ think that was going to work? Aren’t you supposed to be the Brightest Witch or something?” He sneered at her though it didn’t hold the same malice it once had. 

“But y-you fell…” Her voice wavered as she spoke. She tried to back herself into the wall behind her, but her body seemed to be frozen in place. “How- how are you here?” 

“Bit of a mystery, isn’t it?” He asked, standing to his full height. “I fell, but the rest is a bit tricky from there.” 

“So you’re a-alive?” She breathed a sense of relief, though her body remained stiff. 

Nothing was making sense. If he was alive, where had he been? Why was he in her room of all places? 

“I don’t think so, not really?” He responded thoughtfully. 

She blinked at him, trying to wrap her mind around what he was saying.  _ This was it,  _ she thought to herself,  _ I’m finally losing my mind.  _

“So,” she began shakily, “you are not dead, but you’re not alive either…” She rubbed her fingers against her temples. Somehow her consciousness was projecting her nightmares onto her. 

“Are you normally this slow on the pick-up?” 

Hermione ignored him. Finding her strength to move, she began walking towards her bed. If this was some kind of psychological break, well, she hoped sleep would fix it. 

“This isn’t real,” she muttered to herself as she reached into her pocket, grabbing the Sleeping Draught. “This  _ can’t  _ be real.”

“I assure you, Granger, this is real,” Draco responded, eying her. “What are you doing?” 

“Taking this Sleeping Draught,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And when I wake up, you will be gone.” He scoffed, glaring over at her.

“Granger, do you really think I’m a figment of your fucking imagination?” When she managed to unstopper the vial and drank the liquid, he rolled his eyes. “I should have known coming to you would be incredibly difficult,” he grumbled, staring out the window now. 

She wanted to ask him what he meant by coming to her, but she didn't get the chance as the effects of the Sleeping Draught took over, forcing her into a much-needed sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHH!!! And here we go! First things first all my love goes to my alphabet shamione! Thank you for all you do to help me. Also, a major shout out to Canttouchthis for taking the time to work as an extra set of eyes. 
> 
> Draco FINALLY made an appearance! I’ve been so excited to introduce him. What are you thinking? How did you like it? I’ve gotten some art commissioned for this fic & when I learn how to post it I will cry for the rest of my days!!
> 
> Next update: 3/21


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